London: BBC correspondent, whose report that UK had "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons triggering a political crisis in the country on August 12 told an inquiry that his source Dr Kelly was aware he would use the information on BBC Radio 4.

Andrew Gilligan said they agreed on quotes in relation to the alleged transformation of the dossier on the orders of Downing street (British equivalent of PMO), unhappiness in the intelligence services and media chief Alistair Campbell's role in the affair, BBC reports.

On the second day of the Lord Hutton probe into the death of the UN weapons expert, who apparently committed suicide after he was named as a possible source, Gilligan said Kelly had even specified some of the issues that he did not want used in the reports.

"He was clearly aware that I wanted and intended to report on some of his remarks," Gilligan said, admitting however, that some of the language that he used "wasn't perfect" and that the BBC had served him a memo criticising his "flawed reporting" on the dossier.

Gilligan also said he tried to speak to Dr Kelly after the broadcast of his report, but was concerned that the phone conversations would be monitored by the security agencies.

He also told the inquiry commission that he had checked the information with two other government contacts, who neither confirmed nor denied the suggestion that the dossier had been "sexed up" in a apparent bid to drum up support ahead of the war against Iraq.

PTI